Significantly adversely affected people

We have to notify other people who may be ‘significantly adversely affected’ by the outcome of a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) referral or complaint.

If there is anyone we will publish details of the case and the people who may be significantly adversely affected on this site.

If we have identified you as someone who might be significantly adversely affected by the outcome of a case and you want to participate in the investigation you will have the right to:

inspect all documents and submmissions we receive – we will publish a summary of any submissions we receive and you can make an appointment to view the papers

send written comments about the case to us – by law you must do this within 28 days of us publishing notification that you are a significantly adversely affected person

object to a proposal to deal with referrals or complaints together where we think they are substantially the same – you must object within 14 days of us publishing the proposal.

You can appoint someone to represent you and you will also have the same general rights and responsibilities as the other parties. This includes a duty to keep all the information related to a case confidential.

Any written representations or other documents you submit will form part of the appeal and will be made available, or shared with, other parties to the case.

Oral hearings

Significantly adversely affected people have the right to request, or attend, an oral hearing before an Ombudsman reaches a final decision.

Any request for a hearing must be made within 28 days of us publishing notification that you are a significantly adversely affected person.

If you want to attend an oral hearing you must tell us no later than 14 days before the hearing and let us know if you will be:

attending in person

calling witnesses.

If you are calling witnesses you should send us their names and a summary of the evidence they will be giving.

Any written representations in connection with the hearing must be made at least 14 days before the hearing date.

During the investigation

We will publish regular updates on this site, so you don’t need to participate in the investigation to be kept informed.

The time taken to complete our investigation might increase if there are a large number of participants. Go to our investigation process to find out more about what to expect.

After a decision has been made

An Ombudsman’s determination of the referral or complaint will be final and binding on all the parties involved and any significantly adversely affected people, subject to an appeal on a point of law.

Strict time limits apply to the investigation of PPF referrals and complaints. Please contact us immediately if you need further information.